


The Snowball Effect

by NerdyPanda3126



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Endgame Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Field Trip, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Peacock Nathalie Sancoeur | Mayura, Skiing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28315497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyPanda3126/pseuds/NerdyPanda3126
Summary: On a class field trip to a ski lodge in the Alps, a snowy sentimonster appears and makes things difficult for Ladybug and Chat Noir. But when Ladybug finds Adrien detransformed in the snow, questions start snowballing.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 18
Kudos: 45





	The Snowball Effect

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tazildayah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tazildayah/gifts).



> Happy holidays, Tazildayah!! I'm your LO Discord Secret Santa! 
> 
> On your wishlist you had adrinette, ladynoir, fluff and hurt/comfort, and you wanted to see them being giggling blushing dorks in love! 
> 
> I blame [mostlovedgirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mostlovedgirl/pseuds/mostlovedgirl) entirely for the [Card Captor Sakura](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbqrQlU8XJs) episode rewrite (and thank her profusely for the inspiration and the beta read ❤️) but there's a lot of cute moments I kind of needed to be Adrinette. Hope you like it!!

Marinette careened down the bunny slope, her skis out of control beneath her, the poles in her hands flailing along with her arms as she tried to stop before—

She hit something rather solid, but soft at the same time—something that made a rather pronounced “oof” as she collided with it. Something—someone—whose arms wrapped around her as if by instinct. 

When she dared to glance up to see who had come to her rescue, she was staring at colored stripes on a white ski jacket. Her stomach started fluttering as her eyes followed the zipper up to a familiar face. Adrien was giving her a kind, patient smile, and his emerald eyes caught a reflection of the sun off the snow around them. 

“A-Adrien!” She pushed off him harder than she meant to and slid backwards, flailing again as she tried to find her balance. Adrien reached out to grab one of her hands and pull her back to center. 

“Are you all right, Marinette?” 

A dreamy smile spread across her face before she could help it. “Yeah, you’re perfect...” Her eyes widened when she realized what she said and Adrien raised his eyebrows. “I mean! You’re fine—I mean, I’m fine, thanks to you, because you’re amazing—but! not like in a way other than friends, because we’re… friends. Yeah. Good friends.” She blinked as she realized she was rambling. Adrien chuckled softly and let go of her hand.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” He smiled at her and her knees were melting out from under her. 

“Adrien!” Nathalie called and waved him over. He shrugged and waved at Marinette before he turned to push away and ski over to her. Marinette couldn’t help but admire his athleticism. Fencing undoubtedly helped him understand how to move and balance his lean frame, even with the six-foot fiberglass appendages strapped to his feet. 

They’d come to the Alps for a class field trip and they were supposed to stay overnight at the ski lodge. They’d had a beginner’s lesson earlier in the day where they were shown how to use the rope tow and chair lifts and how to stop and turn before they were all released onto the slope. 

As Marinette looked back up to the top of the hill, a lot of her classmates had already mastered this new skill. Kim was bragging that he could win a race against anyone, and a few had dared to take him up on it—mainly Alix, who had rolled her eyes at the concept of the “bunny slope”—and Max was refereeing as only Max could. Rose looked like a frosted cream puff bundled up in her bright pink jacket with white faux fur trim, especially when she stood next to Juleka, who was a dark violet tower against the snow. 

There were a few of her classmates who hadn’t been terribly interested in the sport. Nathaniel, for one, seemed more content to sit and sketch the mountain landscape. Chloe and Sabrina had disappeared into the warmth of the lodge soon after they’d arrived, Chloe complaining loudly about the cold air being terrible for her complexion. 

Marinette glanced down at herself—at the snow clinging to her light pink winter coat from every time she’d fallen, or nearly fallen and managed to catch herself. Ladybug might’ve had a chance on skis, but Marinette was another story. The snow was starting to make everything feel slightly damp and the chill of the mountain air was biting at every unguarded sliver of skin. She shivered. Well, at least she'd tried. She sighed and used her poles to scoot herself over to the hot chocolate stand that was waiting nearby for skiers like her who were already capitulating to the cold. 

“Hey, Marinette,” Alya said as Marinette slid up. “Throwing in the towel already?” 

“I’m not cut out for anything requiring balance.” Marinette grumbled. “And I crashed right into Adrien!” She groaned and leaned over to rest her head on Alya’s shoulder, who patted her head fondly.

“What about Adrien?” Nino turned away from the stand with a hot chocolate in each hand for him and Alya. He raised his eyebrows as he took a sip, handing Alya’s to her nonchalantly. When he brought his cup back down, he had a splotch of whipped cream clinging to his nose. Alya giggled as she swiped it away. Marinette couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit jealous of Alya as she watched Nino’s golden eyes go soft when they turned on her to watch her scoop the bit of cream into her mouth. 

“Oh, nothing,” Alya said with a wink. “Marinette’s just trying to bowl him over with her skiing skills.” 

“Alya…” 

“And look, here he comes now.” Alya grinned and straightened Marinette up with her free hand and spun her before she grabbed Nino’s hand and pulled him away. How she did all that on skis was an absolute mystery to Marinette. But she didn’t have much time to wonder because Adrien was actually skiing right towards her—or at least towards the hot chocolate stand that she happened to be standing next to. She pasted a smile on her face and tried to remember to breathe. 

“How’s the hot chocolate? Any good?” he asked. 

She nodded, although she didn’t know why because she hadn’t gotten herself any yet. Adrien seemed to notice at the same time she did and he reached up to rub the nape of his neck. 

“Sorry, I didn’t notice you hadn’t gotten any yet. Can I get you one?” 

Another nod. Good, nodding was good. She hadn’t stammered yet, she hadn’t slipped into him yet, and she also hadn’t changed her expression at all the entire time he was watching. She blushed when she realized, and he quirked his head to the side. 

“Marinette? Are you okay?” 

“Hot chocolate, yes, I would love you…..I mean! I would love _for_ you to get me a hot chocolate.” She tapped her pointer fingers together and chuckled nervously. That was a close one. But Adrien just smiled and pushed forward to get to the stand. Marinette sighed in relief when his back was turned. 

Her pocket at her hip unzipped and Tikki poked her head out. “Remember to breathe, Marinette,” she said with a tiny giggle. 

“Tikki!” Marinette hissed at her kwami and shooed her back down. “What if Adrien sees you?” 

After another tiny giggle, Tikki snuggled back down, and Marinette zipped her pocket shut. 

“Here you go,” Adrien said behind her. She turned slowly on her skis to face him, focusing on making teeny steps and planting the poles at her sides firmly. 

“I’m not sure you should hand me anything, hot stuff,” she muttered down at her skis. Her head snapped up and her eyes widened again when she realized what she’d said. “I mean! You shouldn’t hand me anything hot right now because—” She flailed as she tried to explain. One of her skis slipped forward and tipped her into him again. She sighed and dropped her head on his chest. “Because I’m a disaster zone…” she said with a groan. When she managed to straighten back up, he smiled again and gave her one of the hot chocolates. Then he looped his arm through hers, pulled her easily over to a bench, and helped her sit down. 

“You’ll get the hang of it. You’re already doing great for your first time.” He settled onto the bench next to her and took a sip from his cup. “Wow, this hot chocolate _is_ good!” He grinned at her, and her heart did a little flip. 

She remembered Tikki’s advice and took a deep breath in and let it out slowly before she took a sip from her own cup. The warmth of the liquid spread through her and felt like it thawed her from the inside out. She sighed and watched a cloud of condensation leave her mouth with a strange sense of wonder before she turned to look at Adrien. 

When she caught his eyes, he chuckled and reached out, hesitating once before he swiped a finger at the tip of her nose. It came away with a small dollop of whipped cream on it. Marinette rubbed at her nose self-consciously. Adrien laughed again and casually swiped the cream into his mouth, just like Alya had, before he took another sip of his own. 

“I haven’t been skiing in so long,” he started, “I almost forgot how much fun it was.” 

“I’m glad you got to come with us.”

He nodded and glanced over to Nathalie. “I’m surprised Nathalie agreed to chaperone. It was the only condition my father set.” 

Marinette snuck a glance over at her, too. She seemed out of place among the students and teachers, with her hair pulled back tightly, her shoulders tall with her arms crossed behind her back, and in a basic black windbreaker. She wasn’t even on skis. She was just standing off to the side, barely interacting with anyone, and she seemed a bit bored as she watched everyone else skiing back and forth. 

“She doesn’t seem to be having much fun,” Marinette noted quietly. 

“I’m sure she is. That’s just Nathalie.” Adrien shrugged and took another sip. “Besides, she’s probably just worried about my father back home. She helps him with everything and I bet he’s feeling a bit lost without her.” 

She dared to glance over at him. He was watching the other skiers with a content smile. 

“You don’t have to sit here with me, you know,” she ventured, “I’m sure you’d rather be out there.” 

He turned towards her and his eyebrows knitted together as his head tilted to the side. “What do you mean?”

“I mean just because I’m a disaster on skis doesn’t mean you should miss out on all the fun.” Her voice came out a lot more glum than she intended as she contemplated the steam rising from her hot chocolate to avoid looking at him again. 

Surprisingly, he chuckled. “I always have fun when you’re around, Marinette.” 

Her head snapped up and he was looking right at her, his bright green eyes tinged with concern for her, and something else. She would almost call it fondness. 

“Besides, I’m sure you’re a lot better at this than you give yourself credit for.” He downed the rest of his drink and tossed the cup like a basketball into the nearest trash can before he stood and offered her a hand. “All you have to do is relax and trust yourself.” He grinned at her lopsidedly, and Marinette was surprised she wasn’t a puddle on the ground. 

She stood with him and finished her hot chocolate, too, although she shuffled over to the trash can to throw her cup away instead of trying to toss it, planting her poles firmly each time and feeling like a fish flopping its fins on land. 

When she turned back to him, he reached out and took her hand to lead her to the rope tow. She caught Alya’s eye on the way over, and Alya gave her a toothy grin and a thumbs up. Nino waved to them both as the rope pulled them up towards the top of the bunny slope.

* * *

Back at the lodge that night, they were all relaxing in front of the fireplace and warming up after an entire day of being out in the snow. 

And _Adrien_ had taken the seat right next to Marinette, his thigh pressed against hers as they all crammed onto the sectional, everyone jostling to try to get a little closer to the fire. 

She was still amazed she’d spent most of the day with him. He’d helped her gain confidence on her skis, and by the time Mme. Bustier had called everyone into the lodge for the day, Marinette could slide smoothly down the hill and even managed a little jump over a snowbank. And the way Adrien had cheered for her when she got it. That was going to be replaying in her dreams tonight, for sure. 

Her stomach lurched into her throat as Adrien adjusted next to her and she caught a waft of his cologne mixed with a musty smell she couldn’t quite place, although she had a strong association to it. But before she could figure it out, her attention was stolen by Kim calling for scary stories, and a shiver ran down her spine.

“Aw, come on, it’s the perfect setting for one!” Kim complained loudly. “We’ve got the fireplace, the lodge to ourselves... doesn’t anyone know a single good ghost story?” 

Marinette prayed that no one would answer Kim’s request, but of course Alix rose to the challenge. Marinette whimpered and Adrien’s head turned a fraction of an inch towards her as she sank into her seat and brought her knees up to her chin. 

“Has anyone ever heard of the Pale Lady?” 

Murmurs of confusion echoed around the circle. No one had. Alix grinned.

“Well, there was this group of kids, staying at this very lodge.” She looked around dramatically and some of the other kids rolled their eyes, but Marinette had to shiver again. “So they all went to bed that night, and one of them gets up for a glass of water. And there… in the hallway… is this pale, white lady. Covered in snow, her lips blue and her eyes black. She looks at the kid. And she points… to an open window. The curtains fluttering in the breeze.” Alix had everyone’s rapt attention now as she mimicked a windy night on the mountain, not unlike the one tonight. 

“The night was clear, but as the kid watched, clouds started forming over the mountain, gathering at the top, creating a storm of epic proportions.” She pointed out the window of their own lodge, towards the mountaintop, and Marinette whimpered again before she hid her eyes behind her hands. 

“And out of nowhere… a deep rumble started growing, and growing. But it wasn’t the mountain. No.” Alix paused for effect. “It was the Pale Lady. Groaning.” The sound effect she made was unearthly, a whining, grumbling groan. Marinette wished she had extra hands. She couldn’t cover her eyes and her ears all at once. 

An arm fell across Marinette’s shoulders and squeezed as she started shaking uncontrollably. When she peeked out from underneath her fingers, Adrien was gripping her tightly, his green eyes straight ahead.

“And the mountain groaned with her,” Alix continued. “Until a ledge of snow broke off the top, and crumbled on its way down. Right. Towards. The lodge.” 

There was a breathless pause in the room. “What happened?” Mylène asked. 

Marinette peeked between her fingers, incredulous that Mylène wasn’t scared stiff like she was. But Mylène was cuddled into Ivan’s side, his arm dwarfing her as it wrapped around her waist, and she was listening to the story intently, just like everyone else. 

“There wasn’t any time,” Alix said in a hushed voice, “and everyone was asleep. The avalanche crashed into the lodge and buried everyone in an icy grave. They say that the Pale Lady still haunts these mountains, joined by her victims, and anyone who looks into her eyes is Never. Seen. Again.” 

Alix’s story faded into the silence of the lodge and Adrien tensed against her. Bracing for—

A deep, rumbling groan filled the space. Not from Alix this time. It didn’t even sound human. Everyone’s eyes widened. It was just like Alix’s story. The sound echoed around the room and sent a collective shiver through the group. 

Marinette didn’t care anymore. She hid her face in Adrien’s shoulder and gripped at his shirt, shaking, as his arm wrapped all the way around her to hold her close. 

The sound repeated, closer, louder. 

“It’s her! It’s the Pale Lady!” Alix whisper-shouted. 

The group gasped, and Marinette knew they had all turned to face whatever Alix was pointing at. Adrien rubbed at her arm before she felt him turn his head, too. 

“Nothing’s there,” Rose whispered with a nervous tremor.

“I see her! I see her! Don’t you?” Alix's voice trembled and Marinette heard the group move over to the window to follow her. 

“It’s okay, Marinette,” Adrien whispered when the group was away. “It’s just a story. There’s nothing there. Alix is playing a prank on everyone.” 

Marinette heard the screams of her classmates and gripped Adrien’s shirt tighter, squeezing her eyes shut tight. 

He craned his neck to look and chuckled. “It’s Markov. They put a sheet and a wig on him and gave him the soundbyte to play.” 

“I hate scary stories,” she whimpered. 

“I know. I remember.” 

She dared to pull away and look up at him, realizing suddenly that she was practically in his lap. But she couldn’t bring herself to move as he smiled down at her. In the background, she heard Alix cackling and Kim congratulating Max. Mme. Bustier stuck her head in to call for everyone to turn in. As everyone else groaned, Marinette sighed in relief. 

“See, you made it through.” Adrien’s thumb rubbed against her shoulder, comforting her and thrilling her at the same time. 

“Thanks to you,” she whispered back. She glanced up and saw the group heading back towards them, and straightened up to stand abruptly. Adrien stood with her and they both fell into the group as they all trooped back to their respective rooms for the night.

* * *

Marinette tossed in her bed and pulled her blanket up over her head. All the other girls were fast asleep, but the bright moonlight pouring into the window of the room threw the mountain outside into a deep shadow and all she could think about was Alix’s ghost story. She shivered and curled into herself. This was so stupid. 

With a groan, she threw the blanket off and padded over to the door, grabbing her coat on the way out. “Thanks a bunch, Alix,” she muttered under her breath. 

As she made her way down the hall, intending to go back to the fire that was still roaring in the main area, she noticed the dark figure of a woman slipping down the hallway. She froze when Alix’s words came back to her. _And there… in the hallway… is this pale, white lady._ But the figure didn’t pay Marinette any mind, hurrying instead towards the main area with what could only be described as malicious intent. 

Marinette patted her coat pocket for Tikki. The kwami poked her head out, on alert just like Marinette. With another glance up, Marinette steeled herself and followed the shrinking figure outside into the snow. 


End file.
